More than 200 representatives from 100 major travel agencies around China attended a tourism cooperation summit organized by the Hubei Tourism Association and Xianning Municipal People's Government, in Xianning city of Hubei province, from Sept 27 to Oct 20.

The high-speed rail linking Xianning to other locations has raised the profile of the city, and the local government is aiming to increase awareness of Xianning as a travel destination.

Last year, a total of 21 million visitors arrived in the city, resulting in 10.7 billion yuan($1.76 billion) in revenue, and tourism is now one of Xianning's pillar industries.

However, strengthened cooperation with other regions is essential for the further development of the local tourism industry, and participants at the summit represented 13 different provinces. The representatives signed two cooperation agreements with the city, and also later announced a declaration of cooperation.

After the summit, the representatives participated in a two-day city tour, with the aim of gaining a better picture of the emerging tourism city of Xianning.

Edited by Niva Whyman and Le Qin